


The Marvelous Mercury

by AXEe



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Superheroes, Superpowers, Weirdness in small town
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2019-06-01 10:37:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15141284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AXEe/pseuds/AXEe
Summary: Cascade Falls, Kansas, present day.   High school track and field athlete Wanda Wallace isn't exactly the definition of what you'd call 'athletic', she's got asthma and is perpetually late for everything.   But after getting caught in a freak lightning storm, Wanda will discover that her passion for running just got a whole lot more interesting...





	1. Lightning In a Bottle

**Author's Note:**

> More original work from me! :=), enjoy :=)

******

The Earth is approximately one hundred and fifty million kilometers from the Sun, or ninety-three thousand hundred miles.

At that distance, the light from the sun’s surface takes approximately eight point three minutes to reach the Earth, a rule that applies to solar flares, which can take up to a day or two to reach Earth, upon which the intense radiation –in particular x-rays and ultraviolet rays—interfere with the Earth’s magnetosphere, compressing it and causing an increase in the electrical current in both the magnetosphere and the ionosphere, creating what’s known as a ‘geomagnetic storm’ or a ‘solar storm’.

These storms can have a disastrous effect on electronics as well as on people and animals.

Or, in one case as we'll soon find out, the effects can be very beneficial…

******

**Route 42, Cascade Falls  
Kansas…**

The Central City Bus puttered on down the lonely stretch of rain-slicked Kansas highway, brief flashes of lightening momentarily illuminating the cornfields on either side as the bus passed a rain-soaked sign proclaiming

Welcome to  
Cascade Falls  
Pop. 10,000

Onboard the bus, the dozen or so members of the Cascade Falls High School girl’s track and field team were less than enthusiastic, despite having just won the regional championship. Most of the girls shook and scowled at their cell phones as they were all confronted with the same message

NO SERVICE

“It’s the storm”

A few of the girls turned to look back at the lone figure sitting by her lonesome by the window watching the droplets the rain made on the glass. Although part of the team, Wanda Wallace had done little to contribute to the team’s recent victory being the weakest athlete on the team.

Standing at five foot-five, Wanda Wallace was—unlike the rest of the team—a little pudgy around the hips and had a mild case of asthma which often forced her to the sidelines more often than not, hardly the traits of a winning athlete. Yet, despite this and the ragging by some of the mean girls on the team, Wanda persisted and had earned herself a permanent spot on the team, displaying a clear passion for running despite her obvious handicaps.

“What do you mean?” one of the girls asked

“It’s the storm,” Wanda repeated “its messing up the cell phone signals” she explained, waving a hand vaguely

“Nerd” one girl muttered, which was another bone of contention between Wanda and the rest of the team. While most of girls on the team either had Olympic aspirations or something to add to their resumes, Wanda was more of a nerd, being interested in science, earning her the undying praise of Cascade Falls High’s science teacher, Mr. Allen.

The team suddenly almost gasped as one as the bus suddenly jerked and then skidded to a stop in a ditch

“Everybody all right?” the driver asked as everyone panted for breath

“Yeah,” the coach answered “yeah. Girls? Everyone OK?” she asked as the team answered in affirmative one by one

“What happened?” someone asked

“Looks like a flat,” the driver muttered as he climbed out of his seat “everybody stay here, I’ll go and see” he instructed as he climbed out into the storm to check on the tire as the lights inside the bus suddenly flickered and died, cell phones and other mobile devices following.

“Hey, look at the sky” someone said as the group crowded around the windows, watching as a dancing, shimmering kaleidoscope of colors suddenly appeared in the sky, shimmering in greens and blues and purples and reds.

“That’s an aurora,” Wanda muttered to herself as she stood up and hurried down the aisle, suddenly eager to see “this shouldn’t be happening this far south,” she muttered as she pried open the doors and climbed down into the rain and mud “hey!” she waved to get the driver’s attention “do you see that?!” she pointed, causing his to look up and gape at the strange sight as Wanda came to stand beside him as a bolt of lightning suddenly struck frighteningly close by, the flash lighting up the area in a blinding white burst of light

“Holy…!” the driver rubbed at his eyes, trying to get them to focus again “come on, kid, let’s get inside we can—kid?” he looked around, suddenly gasping in horror at the sight of Wanda Wallace now laying prone on the ground, twitching as smoke curled off her burned clothes…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Historical note: In March of 1989, a real geomagnetic storm disrupted most of the power in the province of Quebec and caused aurorae as far south as Texas


	2. An Ordinary Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter TWO! Enjoy :=)

******

**Cascade Falls Medical Center**

Wanda Wallace blinked as she came back to awareness. She felt funny, sore and yet tingly all over, and the lights were way too bright. Groaning, she twisted her head to the side, which alerted the two other people in the room to the fact that she was awake

“Wanda!”

Wanda smiled despite her currently groggy state

“Hi, Aunt April” she muttered as another woman, who Wanda recognized at Dr. Hansen, came over and shone a penlight in her eyes

“Pupil response is normal,” the doctor reported “how do you feel, Wanda?”

“Confused,” Wanda admitted “what happened?” she wondered

“You were struck by lightning” Dr. Hansen answered

Wanda blinked as she looked between the two women

“Seriously?” she asked

“Seriously,” Dr. Hansen nodded “you were standing in a puddle next to the bus,” she explained “so, even though the lightning bolt struck a few feet away—”

“…the puddle and the metal in bus conducted the charge,” Wanda nodded “right into me”

“In a nutshell,” Dr. Hansen nodded “you should consider yourself lucky,” she added as she made a mark on her clipboard “but, I’d like you to come in regularly for check-ups. People who survive being struck by lightning usually end up having long-term injuries,” she explained “but for now, April, you can take her home. Let her rest for awhile” she advised

“Come on,” Aunt April sighed…

******

Wanda slept on the drive home and by the time she woke it was already morning and she was sprawled across her bed, the covers haphazardly draped over her. Groaning at the cotton ball-like feeling in her mouth, she sat up, rubbing at her eyes when she caught sight of herself in the mirror over the dresser.

Frowning, she stood up and approached the mirror, suddenly noticing that the pudginess she’d always hated about her hips had trimmed out a bit, it was still there, but not quite as obvious as before, smoothed out. Her long dark brown hair, which normally always looked a little stringy, now looked little fuller, a little less flat, while her bright blue eyes seemed brighter, energized even. Frowning, Wanda took a breath, noticing that her lungs felt clear, clearer than they’d ever been. In fact Wanda felt energized in a way she hadn’t felt since before puberty.

Suddenly hungry, she dismissed the oddness about her appearance and hurried through her shower, before getting dressed and hurrying downstairs to seek out some breakfast, finding Aunt April already at the stove. April Potter wasn’t Wanda’s aunt biologically; she was actually an old family friend of Wanda’s late parents, both of whom had been killed in a car crash when Wanda was about three years old.

April had taken custody of the young tot initially with the intention of just looking after her for a short while, having no interest in raising a child. But as the months passed while the state bureaucracy inched forward with finding a suitable foster family, April quickly grew attached to the girl and soon applied—and was granted—legal custody of Wanda Wallace. The ‘aunt’ had been insisted upon by April herself, out of respect for Wanda’s birth parents, even though she loved Wanda like a daughter.

“Well, you seem better” April commented as Wanda bounded down the stairs two at a time

“Feel better,” Wanda admitted “hey, did they find out what caused the aurora last night during the storm?” she asked

April smirked as she set down a plate in front of Wanda

“They did,” she answered “apparently, it was a solar storm”

“Must’ve been a big one,” Wanda muttered between huge bites of food “for the auroras to be this far south”

“It blew out the grid,” April nodded “I’d say that was pretty big” she commented as Wanda pushed her empty plate away

“Any more?” she asked hopefully

April laughed

“Well, that’s the first time I’ve ever seen you clean your plate,” she remarked as she got up to fetch more, only to pause as she saw the clock “uh-oh, looks like seconds will have to wait,” she tapped the clock face “go, go!” she urged as Wanda continued sitting there in confusion “school!”

“Oh! Right!” scrabbling to her feet, Wanda grabbed her backpack and sprinted out the door, skidding to a stop at the end of the drive as she saw the bus pull away. Sighing, she turned back to the house, finding April already on the porch holding her car keys

“We really need to work on your timing” April sighed

“I know” Wanda sighed in return…

******

Cascade Falls was a rural community built upon, and still living on, farming and agriculture. Established in 1831, the town’s population almost always hovered somewhere around ten thousand. Most residents knew each other if not by first name then by family name and relation, and most of the local businesses were family owned and operated in addition to some big name businesses that had opened up along Main Street in recent years such as Home Depot, IHOP, and a Sears.

Despite its small population, the town was actually quite large in terms of geography, being spread out across several large family farms, making for a series of large open fields where the state’s cash crop of corn grew, the stalks were tall and ready to be harvested any day now, already the town was preparing for the annual Harvest Festival, a big gathering in the town square attended by at least half the town.

“All right,” April pulled into the school’s parking lot “remember what Dr. Hansen said,” she called out as Wanda leapt out of the car “take it easy today”

“I will!” Wanda called out as she raced up the steps “bye, Aunt April!”

******

Hurrying to her locker, Wanda stowed her books and then, seeing the queen bee heading her way, quickly ducked into a classroom

“Wanda”

Turning, she blinked as she realized she’d just interrupted Mr. Allen on his break between classes

“Oh. Sorry, Mr. Allen” she apologized

The teacher smiled

“Anya making her rounds again?” he asked

“Uh-huh” she nodded

“Stay as long as you’d like,” Mr. Allen invited “I heard about what happened last night. Are you feeling OK?”

Wanda nodded

“I feel better than OK, actually” she admitted as Mr. Allen offered her one half of his sandwich. She always liked Mr. Allen, he was an older man, probably in his early fifties, and acted like a father figure to most of his students, Wanda in particular.

Although, naturally, rumors had swirled that she and Mr. Allen were possibly in an illicit—and illegal—relationship, the reality was that in Mr. Allen Wanda had found something of a kindred spirit, someone who fostered her love of science _and_ athletics and encouraged her that she could do more than just spend the rest of life in Cascade Falls.

Taking the offered sandwich, Wanda sat down and began wolfing it down, suddenly feeling hungry again…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Former U.S. Park Ranger Roy Sullivan (Feb 7 1912--Sep 28 1983) holds the Guinness World Record for the person struck by lightning more recorded times than any other human being, having survived being struck by lightning on seven separate occasions


	3. Need for Speed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter THREE! Enjoy :=)

******

Lunchtime found Wanda in the cafeteria by herself as usual. She didn’t have many friends, it wasn’t for a lack of trying, no, it was more because she didn’t have the same interests as the majority her peers. Most of the girls in her age group had a crush on the quarterback or on some new teen heartthrob, while Wanda liked comic books and had no real interest in boys at the moment.

“Wanda,”

She looked up as Mr. Allen waved to get her attention as he came over

“Mind if I join you for second?” he asked as he came over

“Sure, go ahead” Wanda nodded as he sat down opposite her, setting his lunch tray down

“So, how did you do on your math midterm?” he asked suddenly

Wanda blinked, a little confused as to the question coming from her science teacher

“Uh, fine, I think,” she answered “why?”

Mr. Allen sighed and then beckoned her forward

“You didn’t hear it from me,” he began quietly “but some of the girls on the track team have been accused of cheating on their math midterms,” he explained “now, I’m not saying that you’re one of them, in fact I’d like to think I know you better than that. But just keep your eyes open, we all know how important Coach Mackenzie’s reputation is to her”

“No, yeah, of course,” Wanda nodded “thanks for telling me”

“Of course,” Mr. Allen nodded as he stood up “I’ll see you in class” as he rounded the edge of the table he suddenly slipped on a puddle. Gasping, Wanda instinctively lunged to catch him, watching as he fell backwards as if in slow-motion

No. Wait. He actually _was_ falling in slow-motion. In fact, _everything_ around her was suddenly moving in slow-motion.

Wanda watched as the world around her suddenly slowed to a snail’s pace, sounds suddenly dulling to a deep rumbling. Standing up she watched as the liquid in Mr. Allen’s coffee cup slowly formed into a nearly perfect sphere as it splashed into the air. Looking down at herself, Wanda stared at the arcs of electricity now crisscrossing her body, bolts of multicolored lightning silently crackling in the air in aura around her body as she moved.

Gapping, she reached out and grabbed the apple from Mr. Allen’s lunch tray, easily plucking it out of the air as it slowly fell as if in water. Turning the fruit over in her hand, she slowly put it back down on the tray, absently putting a hand under the tray to steady it as she did. Reaching out, she repeated the process with Mr. Allen’s sandwich and his coffee, finding that, with the liquid virtually frozen in midair, it was surprisingly easy to get most of it back into the cup.

Realizing that Mr. Allen’s head was coming dangerously close to the floor, Wanda put one hand under his back as she steadied the tray with the other, and, as Mr. Allen suddenly fell back into her arm, the world suddenly returned to normal.

“Nice catch” Mr. Allen panted out as Wanda straightened up, looking around in confusion

“Did you see that?” she asked as Mr. Allen straightened up

“See what? You’re incredible reflexes? Yes” he replied

“No, the…,” Wanda shook her head “you seriously didn’t see that?”

“Wanda, are you feeling all right?” Mr. Allen asked

Wanda looked around, feeling lightheaded

“I’m fine,” she lied as she grabbed her backpack “sorry” she mumbled as she hurried out of the room…

******

Bursting out of a side door, Wanda took several deep breaths. She had _not_ imagined that! But what was happening to her?

“The storm” she realized, it was the only explanation that made sense. But what was happening and why? Running a hand through her hair, Wanda groaned. She needed to tell Aunt April. No! That was a terrible idea, Aunt April—bless her—would just worry. No, first she needed to figure out what was happening, and then she’d tell someone.

She looked down at her hands, puzzling over the events in the lunchroom. It had almost been like she was the only moving at normal speed….unless, she had been moving _faster_ than everything else. Was that even possible? Superspeed? Like the Flash? Surely not her scientifically oriented mind objected, and yet, it had happened.

Right, she told herself, scientific method. Step one: she had a hypothesis—as incredible as it sounded—and to see if she could reproduce the results. She’d never cut class before, but she needed to know.

Looking around, she turned towards the back of the school grounds, towards Lawson Field and began to walk as casually as possible. Act natural, she told herself as she stepped over the invisible boundary separating the school grounds from the field, half-expecting an administrator to suddenly come swooping down to order her to get to class.

When no swooping happened, she released the nervous breath she’d been holding and pushed through the cornstalks, heading a straight line towards the road she knew was on the other side.

Officially known as ‘Route 4’, the road had been one of several ways in and out of town in days gone by, now, with the interstate highway, Route 4—although not ‘officially’ closed—was hardly ever used, even by residents, who now usually just used the interstate, leaving a long, lonely expanse of highway stretching as far as the eye could see in either direction.

Making it a perfect place for Wanda to test out her theory.

Setting her backpack down, Wanda walked down towards the old battered sign that read ‘Route 4’ and, straddling the center line, took up a starting crouch as if she was lining at the starting blocks. Taking a breath, she began to mentally count down from ten.

Slowly exhaling on ‘one’, she pushed off and broke into a sprint as she raced down the asphalt, already noticing that her asthma—which would start to flair up by now—had yet to show its head. In fact, her energy was better than ever.

Pushing herself harder, she began to notice the changes. Tiny sparks of electricity were beginning to dance along her arms and torso as a rabbit hopping along the side of the road began to slow down, suddenly freezing in mid-hop.

In fact, Wanda could feel herself moving faster—faster then she’d ever moved before—as the aura of multicolored lightning suddenly surrounded her form again. Grinning to herself, Wanda let out of a whoop of joy as she suddenly rocketed down the road, easily passing into the main part of town in a matter of seconds, bypassing frozen cars and people and animals with ease as she took a sharp turn towards Main Street, gasping as her feet slipped out from under her.

Yelping, she suddenly went into a full-body tumble across the asphalt to painfully collide with the side of a building

“Ow,” she groaned as she painfully sat up, idly rubbing at the back of her head. Looking around, she found that she was in the back of the local diner, a fact that her stomach seemed to agree with as it suddenly gurgled loudly. Wincing, she got to her feet, intending on appeasing her stomach when she stopped at a loud _squelch_ -like sound, which caused her to look down.

“Wow,” she muttered as she stared at her now melted sneakers, the rubber soles having melted most likely due to the friction “OK,” she ran her hands through her hair “OK, so…theory proved. You’re fast. Really fast. So…now what?”

Her stomach gurgled again, and, trying her best to ignore the stench of burning rubber, she shuffled along to the front of the diner, only stop as she realized that her wallet was in her backpack.

Which was on the side of the road

A quarter of a mile back.

Groaning, she turned around and started back. Slowly this time…


	4. Great Power and Great Responsibility

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter FOUR! A short one, but enjoy either way :=)

******

After retrieving her backpack, Wanda had decided that it was too risky to stay out any longer and had quickly slipped back into class. Thankfully, it seemed that no one had noticed her absence, except possibly Mr. Allen, who had given her a pointed look as she passed him in the hall on her way out to the bus. But Wanda wasn’t worried by that, Mr. Allen trusted his students, he understood that teenagers sometimes did stupid things.

With her sneakers still squelching somewhat, Wanda boarded the bus and found a window seat in the middle; not too far back to be completely isolated, but not too close to the front to become the target of bullies.

Setting her backpack down besides her, she rested her head against the window and thought about what she had experienced as the bus drove off. She had developed an actual, honest-to-god superpower, now the question was what did she _do_ with it?

Well, she could do nothing at all, which was probably the easiest and safest option. But that didn’t particularly appeal to her; after all, what good was having a superpower if you didn’t use it? She could become a celebrity. If she was as a fast as she thought then a gold medal in the Olympics would be easy.

But no, one she’d probably be disqualified for having an unfair advantage, and two, she’d seen enough of _The X-Files_ to know that people with ‘special abilities’ were usually prime targets for government ‘study’; the thought of being dissected by the U.S. military definitely did _not_ appeal to her at all.

 _‘Maybe I should become a superhero’_ she thought sarcastically. After all, she had the superpower, why couldn’t she be a superhero?

She sat up suddenly. Why…couldn’t she be a superhero? She could help people, people who were in trouble, people who needed a quick fix. Plus, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense that there could be other people around town who’d been affected by the storm in a similar fashion, people who also developed powers, people who might be willing to abuse those powers for their own personal gains, or to just hurt others.

By the time the bus reached her stop, Wanda’s mind was made up; she was going to be a superhero. Now all she needed was a costume and a name…

******

Wanda upended the cardboard box onto the desk in her bedroom and spread out the various comic books, suddenly noticing how many of them there actually were and wondering if maybe, just maybe, she had a problem.

Sifting through the various titles, she began to search for costume ideas, omitting _Superman_ and _Ultrawoman_ because their costumes weren’t exactly practical (she could easily imagine a cape getting caught on all sorts of objects, or even worse, getting tangled up in the cape herself), and Doctor Atom’s costume was basically just a t-shirt with blue jeans and a leather jacket, hardly original or particularly secretive.

Leaning back in her chair, Wanda thought about her power, which seemed to be superspeed. So she just needed to work from there.

Number one, the costume needed to be something like a track suit; lightweight, yet comfortable. But, she glanced over at her ruined sneakers now sitting in the trash can, the suit also needed to be durable, the clothes she’d been wearing had been singed slightly after her first ‘experiment’, especially her jacket, so the costume couldn’t be too loose apparently, and she had yet to figure out how keep her shoes from melting.

Wanda shuddered at the thought of having to wear spandex or latex, wincing as she shook her head. Grimacing, she reached up and gingerly fingered the knot on the back of her head from where she’d collided with the wall earlier, maybe a helmet might be a good investment to consider, she realized.

Grabbing a sketchpad and pencils, she began sketching. She also realized that she’d have to assemble the costume herself, either by cobbling together various items, or entirely from scratch. She was terrible with a needle and thread she knew, but it wasn’t like she could just walk into your local superhero tailor…

******

Wanda groaned as she lifted her head, realizing that it was morning and she must have fallen asleep at some point. Wiping at her mouth, she glanced down at the sketchpad and sighed before drawing a big X through the sloppy sketch and then tearing off the paper. Oh well, nobody said that fashion design would be easy she realized…


	5. Teaming Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter FIVE! Enjoy folks! :=)

******

Wanda clambered down the stairs as the knocking came at the front door, louder than before

“All right, all right,” yanking the door open, Wanda sighed “when I said it was ‘urgent’ I didn’t mean ‘life or death’.” she sighed

“Well you said ‘urgent’,” the girl on the other side countered “usually, ‘urgent’ means…‘urgent’.”

“Wanda! Who’s at the door?” Aunt April called from upstairs

“It’s just Hannity,” Wanda called back as she held the door open for her friend. She and Hannity Culver had been friends for as long as either girl could remember, having similar interests and even looking alike to a certain degree, the one key difference between the two was that Hannity had a very vibrant, energetic personality, whereas Wanda was a bit quieter and less outgoing. Despite this difference in personalities, Hannity was the only person—save perhaps Mr. Allen—that Wanda was willing to tell her newfound secret to.

“Come on, I’m in the attic” Wanda invited, already halfway up the stairs. Once inside the cluttered and dusty attic, Hannity looked around, frowning

“Soo…you get struck by lightning and April banishes you to the attic?” she asked

Wanda rolled her eyes

“No, she wants me to clean up,” she explained “which is why I asked you over,” she reached out and firmly grasped Hannity by the shoulders “you can’t tell _anyone_ about this, OK?”

“O…K” Hannity repeated slowly, clearly confused

“Hannity, I mean it,” Wanda warned “you can’t tell anyone. Especially not Aunt April”

“O…K” Hannity repeated as Wanda stepped back and took a breath

“How long do you think it’ll take me to move these boxes from one side of the attic to the other?” she asked

Hannity stared at her

“ _That’s_ you’re big secret?” she asked incredulously “that you can move boxes really fast?”

Wanda smirked

“Just watch” she instructed as she moved back to the relative center of the room. Taking a breath, she concentrated; as far as she could tell, it seemed to show that moving at high speed appeared to be a conscious action, if she didn’t chose to move that fast then she was only as fast as she’d been before the lightning strike.

As she watched, the familiar aura of electricity surrounded her. Grinning to herself, she turned and, grabbing the first box, moved it to the other side of the room…

From Hannity’s perspective, there suddenly seemed to be two versions of Wanda at once as the boxes appeared and disappeared as the two versions of Wanda flickered and blurred like a bad TV reception as the boxes moved across the room in the blink of an eye before the two Wandas vanished to be replaced by one who returned to the center of the room and looked at Hannity expectantly, who stared at her open-mouthed

“How—wha…holy shit!” she exclaimed “that was awesome!”

“I know right?” Wanda grinned

“How did you do it?” Hannity asked excitedly “I mean was it mirrors, or…?”

“No, no,” Wanda shook her head “it’s not a trick” she sighed

“So…wait,” Hannity frowned “that was actually _you_?” she asked as Wanda nodded “but…how…?”

“I don’t know,” Wanda shook her head “I think it had something to do with the lightning strike”

“Soo…you get struck by lightning and turn into the Flash?” Hannity asked skeptically

“I know, I know,” Wanda groaned “but you saw it”

“Yeah, yeah, I did,” Hannity nodded “dude!” she suddenly gasped “you could _so_ totally be a superhero!”

“I could, couldn’t I?” Wanda grinned

“Wanda! You’re going to miss the bus if you don’t hurry!” Aunt April suddenly called out

“Gah!” Wanda hurried Hannity down the stairs to the front door “hurry! Hurry!” she urged as Hannity flailed to grab her backpack as both girls hurried down the drive and _just_ made it on the bus

“You’re lucky,” the driver commented “I was just about to leave” she continued as both girls found a seat towards the back of the bus

“So much for being fast” Hannity muttered with a muffled giggle as the bus lurched on down the road…

******

“Psst, Wanda,”

Wanda looked up from her math test over towards Hannity, frowning in confusion as Hannity flicked a paper football at her desk

“Psst” Hannity whispered again

“Ms. Culver!”

Hannity looked up, startled as the teacher glared down at her

“There is no talking in my class, Ms. Culver,” she reminded Hannity “you’ll be staying after class”

“Right” Hannity sighed…

******

“Hey,” Wanda waved as she met Hannity out in the hall “you get out OK?” she asked as they walked to their respective lockers

“Yeah, fine,” Hannity dismissed “just the usual _‘school is for learning and discipline’_ speech,” she explained “anyway,” she continued “what I was _trying_ to say to you was, about your…problem?” Wanda nodded “I think we should tell Mr. Allen”

“Yeah, I had the same idea,” Wanda nodded “I mean he _is_ a scientist,” she frowned “well, OK, a high school science teacher. _But_ …”

“…he’s the closest thing we have to an expert if something goes wrong,” Hannity finished “plus, you and he have this crazy friendship thing”

“Don’t do that,” Wanda shook her head “you make it sound gross”

“Wanda, you’re _sixteen_ and he’s…,” Hannity trailed off, silently counting on her fingers before giving up “…a lot older than you” she finally finished

“I told you, I don’t like boys my own age,” Wanda dismissed. She stopped as Hannity stared at her “that came out wrong”

“Yeah,” Hannity nodded “it did,” she nodded down the hallway “come on, if we hurry, we can catch Mr. Allen between classes…”

******

“Superspeed” Mr. Allen repeated after both girls had explained the situation to him

“I know, it sounds crazy,” Hannity sighed “but…Mr. Allen, I _saw_ her do it” she insisted

“Actually,” Mr. Allen began “it doesn’t sound all that strange”

The girls stared first at each other and then at him

“It doesn’t?” they both echoed

Mr. Allen shook his head as he stood up and retrieved key from his desk, leading the girls over to a supply closet in the back of the room. For as long as he’d been Cascade Falls High’s science teacher the closet had bourn a sign warning ‘KEEP OUT’, which no one in the student body or the faculty had any real interest in violating, largely because they didn’t care.

Unlocking the door, Mr. Allen gestured for the girls to enter, reaching up and pulling the chain on the lone, bare light bulb hanging from the ceiling. As the light flickered on it revealed that the closet was much bigger than the door would have one believe, in fact it looked almost as if it was a separate class room that had been walled up and forgotten about after a renovation long ago.

But what was the most striking—and somewhat disturbing—were the walls, which were covered with various newspaper and magazine clippings all detailing bizarre and unusual occurrences from around the world. A clipping from the _Tempest Reef Register_ from Tempest Reef, California spoke of a ‘mermaid woman’ having been seen off the coast near a Poseidon Energy Company Refinery. While a printout from some website called _MysteryLinks_ spoke of ‘tiny robotic figures’ being seen in the headquarters of a major defense contractor. While one clipping right from the _Cascade Falls Ledger_ spoke of a farmer whose severely mangled and maimed hand miraculously healed after being struck by lightning during a ‘magnetic storm’.

“What… _is_ all this?” Wanda breathed as she took in the walls

“It started out as a diary and later a series of journals,” Mr. Allen began “and then just…mutated,” he shrugged “basically, I found a whole series of different stories from around the world throughout history of bizarre occurrences and of people with strange abilities. Most of them linked to geomagnetic storms like yesterday” he explained

“So…I’m not the only one” Wanda realized

“Doesn’t look like it,” Mr. Allen nodded “sorry” he shrugged

“No,” Wanda shook her head dimly “that’s…that’s fine” she muttered as she struggled to take in the scope of it all…

******

At that moment, Mary Mackenzie, the coach of the girls’ track and field team rubbed at her temple in annoyance

“This is a _serious_ accusation, Coach,” Principal Kawn insisted “at least _two_ of the girls on your team say that _you_ provided them with the answers for their math midterms!” she exclaimed, shaking her head in disbelief “you risked their academic futures and for what? Your reputation? Your, your… _legacy_?” she shook her head in disgust “I’ve already filed a report with the school board,” she warned “pray that they go easy you”

Waiting until the door slammed shut, Coach Mackenzie angrily slammed a fist down on her desk. Twenty-five _years_ , all gone now because some little weakling couldn’t keep her mouth shut!

Pushing her chair away, she stormed out of the school and began to run laps around the grounds, hoping that the adrenaline would calm her down. It didn’t; in fact, it only served to make her angrier. Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself harder, feeling herself going faster as her adrenaline surged, and suddenly she was picking up speed, going faster and faster, and then, with a strange tingling sensation across her skin, she was rocketing down the road, easily leaving the school grounds and reaching the center of town in a matter of seconds.

Gasping for breath as she skidded to a stop off Main Street, she took a frantic look around as she began to piece together what happened…

And what she could _do_ with this newfound power…


	6. Stitching, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! We're back! Welcome back to "The Marvelous Mercury". Enjoy! :=)

******

Wanda doubled checked the address she’d written down before slinging her backpack over her shoulder and then, after a brief moment’s thought, grabbed an extra pair of sneakers and tossed them into the backpack before hurrying down the stairs

“Bye Aunt April! Be back soon!” she called out as she passed the living room, where April was lounging on the couch

“Wanda! Wait!” April sat up on the couch “where are you going?” she wanted to know

“Just out with Hannity” Wanda explained

“OK,” Aunt April nodded “don’t be out too late”

“I won’t,” Wanda promised as she ducked out the door. Taking the steps down from the porch two at a time, she turned onto the road and, once she was sure she was out of sight, ducked behind a tree and pulled out her cell phone, hitting Hannity’s speed dial

“Hey, it’s me” she greeted as Hannity picked up

“ _Hey, me,_ ” Hannity chuckled “ _I already got the car and am on my way to scenic Wichita_ ” she explained

“You got the address?” Wanda asked

“ _Got it,_ ” Hannity answered “ _listen, are you sure that you don’t want me to pick up? I mean we don’t even know if you can make it this far_ ”

“We’ll find out,” Wanda vowed “see you there”

“ _Yeah_ ” Hannity answered dubiously

Hanging up, Wanda took a breath as she stepped out onto the road again. It was a clear day and she could see the faint outline of Wichita’s cityscape from here. Slinging her backpack over both shoulders, she concentrated and then, pushing off of the asphalt, rocketed off down the road, streaking down the roadway in a high-speed blur invisible to the naked eye…

******

Hannity pulled the car to a stop in front of the small shop, blinking in surprise at the sight of Wanda leaning casually against the building, looking very smug as she tossed her now-melted pair of sneakers into a trash can and slipped on the fresh pair she’d stashed in her backpack

“What took you, slowpoke?” she chuckled

“Oh yeah,” Hannity muttered as she climbed out of the car “you’re going to just be barrels of fun now, aren’t you?”

******

The shop was small, out of the way, yet busy enough that neither girl would be noticed or remembered with any real clarity, which was why they’d chosen it. According to Hannity, rule number one of superhero costumery was this: never shop for your costume in a place where people know your face, hence why they’d gone an hour’s drive (at least for Hannity it was an hour’s drive anyway) out of their way to Wichita to a small costume shop to search for parts for Wanda’s superhero costume.

“You know this would go a lot easier if we knew what to call you” Hannity whispered angrily as they hunted through the racks

“Do you girls need any help?” a sales’ clerk asked

“Uh” Wanda began only for Hannity to swiftly intercept

“Actually, yes,” she beamed at the clerk “we’re looking for parts for a costume” she explained

The clerk frowned thoughtfully at the two girls

“Now let me see, if I had to guess, I’d say that you two….are cosplayers, am I right?”

Both Wanda and Hannity blinked and stared at each other, surprised

“Uh, yeah, actually,” Wanda nodded “we are. How’d you guess?”

The clerk smiled

“You just have this sorta ‘air’ about you,” he explained “now, are you looking to do an original character?”

“We haven’t decided yet” Hannity answered

“Well, let’s start with the basics,” the clerk invited “color…”

******

It took less time than either girl was expecting and soon they walked out of the store, the bags containing the parts to Wanda’s costume in their hands

“So, now what?” Hannity wondered

“Donno,” Wanda shrugged “want to just wander around for a bit?”

“Hmm,” Hannity glanced at her watch “can’t, I promised my dads I’d help them clean out the garage”

“Too bad” Wanda remarked, slinging her bags up over her shoulder

“Want a ride back?” Hannity offered

Wanda frowned, glancing back at the bags

“Yeah probably should,” she agreed “don’t want anything to burst into flames” she quipped as she climbed into the car…


	7. Sitching, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're BACK! A short update for my original work "The Marvelous Mercury". Enjoy! :=)

******

“Ow!”

Wanda stuck her injured finger in her mouth; glowering at the sewing needle she held in her other hand as she examined the offended digit, wiping at the bead of blood welling up from her finger, watching as the small wound healed instantly with a tiny crackle of lightening

“Weird,” she muttered as she frowned at the crackling web of electricity surrounding her hand. Pursing her lips thoughtfully, Wanda wacked her hand hard on the desk, surprised when she felt no pain.

“Force field,” she realized, grinning “cool” frowning, she concentrated, watching as the crackling web formed a variety of patterns on her skin, finally succeeding in spelling her full name in crude, jagged, but legible, letters.

Curious, she leaned back in her chair and concentrated, watching as a large ‘W’ appeared on her chest, atop her t-shirt, in glowing, shimmer white…

******

“Makes sense,” Mr. Allan concluded as he watched Wanda demonstrate her newfound ability at the end of class “you’d need something to keep you from…,” he trailed off “…bursting into flames from the friction” he added sheepishly

“Gee, that’s a cheery thought;” Wanda muttered as the web of energy covering her hand dissipated “I think it also works like a force field,” she added “keeps me safe whenever I hit anything”

“Makes sense,” Mr. Allan nodded “still, if you’re going to keep this up, you might want to think about investing in a helmet,” he advised, giving his temple a tap before reaching out and giving her a light, affectionate pat on the head, earning a blush from her.

Pulling away, he brightened

“You know…,” he began “I might have just the thing”

******

Mr. Allan’s house was small and tidy, even cozy.

Following the teacher inside, Wanda frowned as she looked around, taking note of the various knickknacks and artifacts adorning pretty much everywhere. The entire house it seemed was a museum to world travel, there were pictures of strange places that Wanda had only seen in documentaries, a Japanese kimono neatly spread out and framed hung on one wall next to what looked like an African shield and spear. Tables and bookcases were crammed with various other artifacts, making a dizzying, twisting maze of narrow paths throughout the living room and hallway.

Even the staircase wasn’t immune it seemed, various seashells hung from the bannister, making the idea of sliding down it a painful-looking prospect.

“ _Wow…_ ,” Wanda finally breathed as she struggled to take in the scope of the place, suddenly wishing she had four more sets of eyes. Grinning, she suddenly sped through the room, leaving a crackling trail of lightning and the smell of ozone in her wake. Reeling her curiosity in, she sped back to where Mr. Allan was still standing.

“Sorry” she mumbled, blushing.

Mr. Allan shook his head

“Impressive isn’t it?” he chuckled.

“Where did you _get_ all this… _stuff_?” Wanda wondered, looking around the room in awe.

“Oh, here and there,” Mr. Allan replied evenly with a nonchalant, dismissive shrug “after collage, I traveled the world,” he explained “backpacked through Europe, went down the Amazon in a canoe,” he paused and reached out, fingering an African tribal mask hanging on the wall “but Africa was my favorite,” he explained “I must’ve been there at least a dozen times over, maybe more,” he smirked “but, after a while, I decided that it was time to settle down,” he continued “so, I came back home, got my teacher’s certificate, and started teaching” he explained.

“You never went back?” Wanda asked.

“Oh I didn’t say that,” Mr. Allan shook his head “I still travel,” he explained “maybe not as far, or as long, but I do,” he smirked at his student “where do you think I disappear to every summer?” he chuckled.

Wanda smirked, nodding in understanding.

“I think I might retire to Africa someday,” Mr. Allan remarked. He shook his head “anyway, back to the matter at hand,” he began searching the shelves “now, where is that…?” he trailed off, muttering to himself as he hunted through the shelves, apparently coming up empty.

Scowling, he put his hands on his hips.

“Maybe it’s in the garage,” he decided “make yourself at home, Wanda,” he invited as he opened a door “there’s some soda in the fridge,” he called out as he slipped through the door, a rustling, clattering sound soon following, along with a few puzzled muffled curses as Wanda found the kitchen.

Opening the fridge, she pulled out a can of coke, absently opening it as she examined the photos adorning the fridge.

“Ah-ha!”

Turning, Wanda frowned as Mr. Allan triumphantly emerged from the garage.

“Here we are” he declared as he held up what looked like a metal bowl. Handing it to Wanda, he turned it over, revealing that it was in fact a helmet. It was old, its surface dented and pitted, the silver finish tarnished and peeling

“I think I’ve seen one of these before” Wanda noted as she hefted the heavy helmet.

“You probably have,” Mr. Allan noted “it’s an ‘Arian helmet’,” he explained “French soldiers during the First World War wore them to protect their heads from shrapnel,” he explained “try it on” he encouraged.

Frowning, Wanda put the helmet on, finding that it fit quite snuggly on her head and that the weight wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be.

“How’s it look?” she asked

Mr. Allan nodded.

“Not bad” he commented…

******

Wanda frowned as she examined her half-finished costume in the mirror. It was a fairly simple affair and in truth she probably could have found the materials anywhere rather than at a costume shop all the way in Wichita. Still, what’s done is done she reminded herself as she took off the costume and safely stowed it away somewhere, hopefully, Aunt April wouldn’t find it…


End file.
